Newbie router bit question

[Louis Brandt]

Hello,

I’m getting ready to start my first router project, and it will be a free standing bookcase. It will need rabbets and dados for the top and bottom and rabbets in the back edge of all four pieces to support the plywood back.

Since I’m still a newbie, the myriad of router bits available makes my head spin, and I find it difficult to determine what bit is correct.

So, please tell me, what is the correct bit that I should buy to do these rabbets and dados?

And I have the Bosch 1617 router with fixed and plunge bases. Which would you recommend using, the fixed base or the plunge base to do hand-held rabbets and dados?

Thanks,
Louis

[John Harden]

Hello,

I’m getting ready to start my first router project, and it will be a free standing bookcase. It will need rabbets and dados for the top and bottom and rabbets in the back edge of all four pieces to support the plywood back.

Since I’m still a newbie, the myriad of router bits available makes my head spin, and I find it difficult to determine what bit is correct.

So, please tell me, what is the correct bit that I should buy to do these rabbets and dados?

And I have the Bosch 1617 router with fixed and plunge bases. Which would you recommend using, the fixed base or the plunge base to do hand-held rabbets and dados?

Thanks,
Louis

Louis, you can use either base, though the fixed will get your hands closer to the work and provide a bit more control.

As far as which bit, you can do both dados and rabbets with a straight bit with 2 or 3 flutes. The trick to dados is you'll need to either size the width of the bit to your plywood, or make multiple passes with a smaller diameter bit. For example, a 1/2" diameter, 2 flute carbide tipped straight cutter will work for 3/4" ply though you'll need to make two passes. If you just buy a 3/4 diameter bit, you'll find that the dado is too wide as 3/4" plywood is about 1/32" or so more narrow than that.

Use a straightedge clamped down to the workpiece guide your router.

Hope this helps.

Regards,

John

[Jim Rimmer]

I think the best advice you'll get from this forum is to buy the best bits. Cheap (or low priced) bits will just give you headaches. From what I've read, you should try upcut spirals for the dadoes - they will clear the waste out better to prevent clogging and burning and give you a flat bottom in the dado.

[Louis Brandt]

John,
I won't be using plywood for this, I'll be using 1x8 poplar, and when I measured the poplar at the Borg, it appears to be a "real" 3/4 inch size.
Louis

[Brian W Evans]

I won't be using plywood for this, I'll be using 1x8 poplar, and when I measured the poplar at the Borg, it appears to be a "real" 3/4 inch size.


I agree with John. Use a smaller diameter bit and make multiple passes. It is possible that not all of your stock will be exactly 3/4", especially if it needs to be cleaned up on the jointer or planer before you use it.

Another tactic is to rabbet the ends of your shelves so that you're fitting the rabbeted portion into the dado you cut in the sides. You control the thickness of the rabbet and therefore can insure that all are exactly the same thickness.

I'll also second the suggestion that you use a spiral bit. Up-cut pulls chips out and makes routing easier. Down-cut pushes wood fibers down and minimizes tear-out. I think up-cut would work fine for this application.

Finally, take a few minutes and make a dado jig. You'll save the time back on your first project. Five minutes on the Internet will turn up dozens of plans. Below are a couple of examples of dado jigs and a picture of rabbet-dado shelves.

[Louis Brandt]

Thanks Brian,
But I won't be using dados for the shelves. I'll use shelf pins for the shelves. The only dados that I plan to use will be for the stationary bottom of the bookcase. My plan is for a rabbet for the top, a dado for the bottom and rabbets for the sides to accept the back.
Louis

[Stephen Edwards]

After years of being frustrated with low price/low quality router bits I finally sprang for some high quality bits, mostly because of reading posts here at SMC and email exchanges with fellow Creekers. What a difference! No more cheap router bits for me. I've decided that I'm going to build my collection, slowly but surely as I can afford them.

There are several good manufacturers to choose from. For dado work I highly recommend the solid carbide spiral bits. I bought Whiteside bits from:

https://www.holbren.com/

The gentleman with whom I dealt for this purchase is a member here at SMC. Great customer service, extremely fast shipping and a pleasure to deal with.

Freud bits are also very high quality bits. One of their people is also a member here and will frequently chime in with sound advice. I purchased two Freud TS blades based on his response to a question that I had posted here. No regrets about that purchase either.

Best of luck with your decision and your project!

[John Grabowski]

I use Whiteside now almost exclusively. They are great...little burn and stay sharp!! I will occasionally use Freud Quad Cut bits...They are also VERY NICE but super exspensive.

Good Luck,

John G

[Stephen Edwards]

Since you're asking for advice.....I'd also recommend that you build your collection of router bits by buying bits with the 1/2 inch shank for general use when possible. I have the same router that you have. For years, before buying this router, I was limited to 1/4 shanks. Now, I much prefer the 1/2 inch. If you haven't used them much already, you'll enjoy the added stability.

That doesn't mean that you'll never use 1/4 shanks; some tasks seem to require that.

[glenn bradley]

Thanks Brian,
But I won't be using dados for the shelves. I'll use shelf pins for the shelves. The only dados that I plan to use will be for the stationary bottom of the bookcase. My plan is for a rabbet for the top, a dado for the bottom and rabbets for the sides to accept the back.
Louis

My .02

- use 1/2" shank bits.
- smaller bit and multiple pass for the dado (I almost exclusively use this method for anything over 1/4" as it gets me a great fit).
- Whiteside bits (they;re not that much more and they're great to work with)
- 3/8" spiral upcut as you are not using ply (and you might take an hour to slap together a "perfect fit" jig: http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?p=469235#poststop)

[Louis Brandt]

Thanks for all of your replies, but help me to understand something. When I look through my Rockler, Lee Valley and other tool catalogs, I see straight bits as well as spiral bits. Which should I choose and why? Is a straight bit not as good for dados as a spiral bit, or vice versa?

And what about the rabbeting that I need to do? I see bits labeled as rabbeting bits. Would that be the best choice for rabbeting?

And after I posted this, I watched an old "Norm" video in which he showed a lot of router techniques. He made a jig for cutting dados, and then he used a full 3/4 inch straight bit to cut the dado in a single pass. He also used a rabbeting bit to demonstrate cutting rabbets.

So wouldn't a straight bit of full 3/4 inch size be a good choice for dados, and wouldn't a rabbeting bit be a good choice for rabbets?

Thanks,
Louis